North Ayrshire Heritage Trails

North Ayrshire Heritage Trails

Toc H Services Club, Largs

North Ayrshire Heritage Trails

Three Sisters with Cock-ma-Lane and Castle Hill

Largs

Haylie Chambered Tomb

In 1772, William Wilson, owner of Haylie, decided to improve his estate by building walls or dykes. A small hill behind his mansion, known as Margaret's Law, contained stone of the size needed for the job. As the stone was removed it was discovered that Margaret's Law was artificial.

Hundreds of cart loads of stone were taken, one source saying up to 1500 caret loads, and at its centre a tomb was uncovered. It had five stone chambers, two of which contained four skulls each and human bones. Several earthen urns were also found.

This style of Neolithic tomb is known as a Clyde Chambered Tomb because they are mostly found in north and west Ireland and west Scotland. They date to around 4000BC and seem to have been used in a form of ritual.

In 1953, the tomb was excavated by Dorothy Marshall and Glen Aitken of the Buteshire Natural History Society. Amongst other things they uncovered a human skeleton.
Today only one of the chambers remains intact with the remnants of the other chambers visible in the ground.